NEW BRUNSWICK - Officials from the Waterfront Commission of the New York Harbor Wednesday tried to allay the fears of warehouse owners in the area's ports, who suddenly find themselves under the scrutiny of the agency, required to submit to licensing rules and fees that previously had not been enforced.

Phoebe Sorial, general counsel for the Waterfront Commission, addressed about 100 members of NAIOP New Jersey, the commercial real estate trade group, at their meeting in New Brunswick. She immediately acknowledged that some warehouse owners had expressed concern and were undergoing "culture shock' regarding her agency's drive to license companies that handle waterborne freight at the ports, as well as the employees who handle such freight.

"We recognize that nobody wants to see an agency come in," Sorial said.

Sorial and Jeffrey Schoen, the director of the commission's Division of Law and Licensing, in May had met with members of NAIOP and its executive director, Michael McGuinness, to discuss the group's worries that the agency's activities would have a negative impact on the Port of New York and New Jersey.

While NAIOP said it recognized that the commission was responsible for eradicating criminal activity and organized crime at the ports, it asked the agency to act reasonably so as not to harm the region's thriving distribution and logistics industry.

In her remarks, Sorial bluntly outlined the housecleaning and overhaul the agency had undergone after an investigation in 2008 by the New York State Inspector General. The probe accused the commission of abuses and "lethargy," Sorial said. So although port warehouses had always been under the commission's jurisdiction, the agency under its prior management hadn't been enforcing the licensing requirements as it should have, she said.

Now the agency wanted to bring "everybody into the fold," she said.

Sorial explained the rules regarding stevedores, which are is defined as "a company within a marine terminal, at a pier, or within 1,000 yards of a pier that performs maintenance, cleaning or service incidental to the handling of waterborne freight," or a similarly situated warehouse that receives and stores such freight.

Sorial told the group that stevedores are required to be licensed by the commission, and anyone who works for a stevedore or handles waterborne freight must be registered with the agency.

The commission is funded by an assessment, not to exceed 2 percent, paid by an employer for employees who have a commission license or registration. The agency's budget is $12 million to $13 million annually, most paid by six large container terminals, Sorial said.

She assured the meeting's attendees that having a criminal conviction doesn't automatically preclude an employee from getting a license or registration from the commission.